The starting price for the coin was set at €1.3 million, and that’s what it sold for. The auction house, Monnaies de Collection (MDC), didn’t mention it publicly, but it was the highest-priced item. No other coin came close.

The coin was minted in 1621 alongside 50- and 100-ducat pieces to commemorate the victory in the Battle of Chocim. It was previously owned by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz. It was sold twice in the 1990s. Notably, it was the world’s first 100-ducat coin. Its value has risen steadily.

Mamy to, moneta Zygmunta III 80-dukatówka została sprzedana za cenę startową 1.300000 euro pic.twitter.com/RyHL7IqCa8

— Marie_R (@MariaLeopoldine) May 4, 2024

Despite this high price, it’s not the most expensive Polish coin ever sold. That title goes to a 100-ducat coin from the same collection. The 100-ducat piece, sold for €2.16 million in 2018, holds the title of the most expensive coin in continental Europe. Its original copy can be admired at the Czapski Museum in Kraków. Moreover, this amount sufficed to elevate the coin to one of the most expensive in history.